Electrical connector having improved sliding latch

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly is shown having connectors (4) and (6). The connector (2) has a sliding latch (108) which can be moved transversely to cooperate with lugs (150) on a housing body (6). The lugs (150) have camming surfaces (150a, 150b) which cooperate with entry surfaces (134a,134b; 136a, 136b) which cams the slide (108) to a preliminary position, where a shoulder (150d) on the locking lug (150) can rest on shoulders (134d, 136d) within the locking slide (108).

Description: The subject invention relates to an electrical connector according to the pre-characterizing part of claims 1 and 6. In many applications the amount of space available where electrical connectors are mated is quite limited. For example, in automotive applications, the mating of connectors may have to occur in the confined space within a door or door pillar. The limited space makes it difficult to positively seat connectors, especially those with a plurality of interconnections therein, as the limited space may prevent the installer from using both hands effectively. Therefore, it is desirable to have a latching structure that has a mechanical advantage feature, allowing the application of a small force to the latch structure itself, with the application of a large force between the mating connectors to accommodate a full engagement. A connector having the features of the preamble of claims 1 and 6 is known from German Patent 36 45 179, where a sliding latch is moveable transversely of the mating direction. The latch includes latching grooves which are angled relative to a length of the sliding latch. The grooves receive latching lugs located on the mating connector which, when the lugs of the other connector housing are positioned within the grooves and the sliding latch is moved relative to the one connector housing, the two connectors are brought into mating engagement. While this connector system has found wide acceptance in the connector industry, in particular in the automotive application, the connector still requires the installer to use two hands to make the connection, as the connector containing the lugs must be mated with the connector containing the sliding latch, in a polarized manner within the grooves of the sliding latch, while the other hand activates the sliding latch, to cam the two connectors together. It is an object of the invention then, to provide an electrical connector and a sliding latch for such connector where the connector parts could be mated by using only one hand. In accordance with claim 1 and claim 6, the object of the invention was accomplished by providing means to temporarily hold the two connectors in a partially mated position, with the latching lugs of the one connector aligned with the grooves of the sliding latch, whereby the connectors can be temporarily held in place, such that when the connectors are ready for mating, only one hand is necessary to activate the sliding latch to bring the two connectors into a finally locked position. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the means are provided by engaging sections of the lug and sliding latch to temporarily hold the mating connectors together. The invention will now be described by way of reference to the drawings, where: Figure 1 is an isometric view of the prior art connector described above; Figure 2 shows an improved sliding latch useable with the connector assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an improved latching lug useable with the sliding latch of Figure 2, and on the connector housing shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows the entry of the two connectors together; Figure 5 shows a preliminarily locked position between the two connectors; Figures 6 and 7 show the actuation and fully locked positions of the two connector housings. With respect first to Figure 1, the prior art connector will be described for a better understanding of the present invention. The connector assembly is comprised of two connector components, members 2 and 6. Connector 2 is comprised of a receptacle housing 4 and a sliding latch 8. Typically, a plurality of pins would be positioned in the apertures 10 of the housing 4, whereas a plurality of socket contacts that are matable with the pins would be positioned in the apertures 12 of the housing 6. It should be noted that other types of electrical terminations may be used or that the pins and the socket contacts may be inserted in either of the housings. In any case, the pins, the socket contacts and the electrical conductors or cables that they would interconnect have been omitted from the figures for the sake of clarity. The housing 4 has a cavity 14 that is profiled to receive a front portion 16 of the connector housing 6. The housing 4 further includes opposing outer side walls 18 which have channels 20 therein. The channels 20 being profiled to receive arms 28 of the U-shaped latching slide 8, in such a manner as to restrict the arms 26 to sliding movement therewithin. A front edge 22 of the housing 4, contains axial grooves 24 and 26, which open into the channel 20, along the inner surface of the side walls 18. The U-shaped sliding latch 8 is comprised of the latching arms 28 and an end actuator member 30 upon which a force may be exerted to displace the sliding latch 8. The sliding latch 8, shown in the Figures, further includes a pair of camming grooves 32 in each of the arms 28. Theses camming grooves 32 are comprised of axial entry slots 34 and 36 and angled slot portions 38 and 40. In order to utilize the connector 2, the installer would position the sliding latch 8 within the housing 4 with the latch arms 28 slidably received in the channels 20. Next, the sliding latch 8 is orientated so that the axial grooves 34 and 36 therein are aligned with the axial grooves 24 and 26 of the housing 4. While holding connector 2 in that position, the installer places the front portion 16 of the mating connector member 6 into the cavity 14 of the connector 2 such that cylindrically protruding actuating lugs 50 thereupon align with, and are received in, the slots 24, 34 and 26, 36. As the installer further inserts the mating connector 6, the actuating lugs 50 enter the entry portion of the grooves 38 and 40. Once in this position the installer must hold the two connectors 2, 6 together or else, as a result of any disturbance, they will become disengaged. The installer must then displace the end actuator member 30 towards the sidewall 52 of the housing 4, to mate the two connectors 2, 6. As the installer moves the sliding latch 8, the actuating lugs 50 are moved into the camming grooves 38, 40. As the latching slide 8 is constrained to move only along the channels 20, and the front portion 16 of the mating connector 6 can only move in-and-out of the cavity 14 of connector 2, continued movement of the sliding latch 8, with the lug portions 50 engaged within the angled camming grooves 38, draws the connector assembly together into full engagement. With respect now to Figure 2, an alternate latching slide is shown as 108, which is replaceable with the sliding latch 8 shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the U-shaped latching slide 108 has opposing arms 128 each of which include camming grooves 138 and 140. The grooves 138 and 140 have entry portions 134 and 136 respectively, where the entry portions 134, 136 each include camming surfaces 134a, 134b; 136a, 136b; upper surfaces 134c, 136c,; and latching surface 134d, 136d. The entry portions 134, 136 will be more fully described below with respect to their function. With respect now to Figure 3, the latching lug 150, which replaces the cylindrical lug portion 50 of Figure 1, is shown. In this embodiment, the latching lug 150 protrudes from the housing 6 and includes camming surfaces 150a, 150b; stop surface 150c; latch shoulder 150f; sliding surface 150d and leading surface 150f, which interact with the grooves 138, 140 to mate the connector assembly. As shown in Figure 4, the connector 6 is moved into the connector 2, as previously described, with latching lugs 150 received within the entry portions 134, 136. As the latching lugs 150 enter the entry portions 134, 136, the camming surfaces 150a, 134a, 136a; and 150b, 134b, 134c of the latching lugs 150 and the sliding latch 108 respectively, come into contact with each other to cam the sliding latch 108 transversely in the direction of Arrow A. As clearly shown in Figure 4, when the connector 6 is inserted in the connector 2 until the stop surfaces 150c of the latching lugs 150 abuts the upper surface 134c, 136c, the sliding latch 108 has been displaced to a preliminary position where the latching surface 134d, 136d is now positioned below the latch shoulder 150f, thereby preventing disengagement and retaining the connector 6. Any force on the connector 6, which includes the lugs 150, such as simply the weight the connector 6, will bring the shoulder 150f into a seated position on the surfaces 134, 136d, thereby preventing the connector 6 from becoming dislodged from the connector 2 and enabling the installer to handle the partially assembled connector assembly with only one hand. When the connector assembly is in the preliminary position shown in Figure 5, the connector 6 no longer has to be held in connector 2 as the displacement of the sliding latch 108 retains the connector 6 therein. As shown now in Figure 6, by exerting a force on the end actuator member 30, the latch 108 is moved such that the sliding surface 150d moves along the camming grooves 138, 140 to draw the connector 2 and the mating connector 6 together. When the sliding latch 108 is moved to the fully lefthand position, as shown in Figure 7, the latching lugs 150 will be in their fully locked position. Advantageously, the installer of a connector assembly incorporating the present invention may insert the mating connector 6 into the connector 2 which biases the latch 108 to the preliminary position shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, whereby the connectors are joined together. This may be accomplished with one hand in a cramped space. Finally with the two connectors 2, 6 joined together in the preliminary position, the latch 108 may be displaced laterally, without concern as to the disengagement of the connectors 2, 6, to draw the two together to form the desired electrical interconnections.

Claims: An electrical connector (2) comprising a housing (4) and a movable sliding latch (108) for interconnection with a mating connector (6) having latching lugs (150) thereupon, the sliding latch (108) having an open position for receiving the latching lugs (150) as the mating connector (6) is joined thereto and a closed position about the lugs (150) when the connectors (2, 6) are fully seated, characterized in that the latching lugs (150) cooperate with the sliding latch (108) as the mating connector (6) is inserted into the housing (4) to displace the sliding latch (108) to a preliminary position, between the open position and the closed position, where the mating connector (6) is captivated to said electrical connector (2), by the latching lugs (150) being retained in the sliding latch (108). The electrical connector (2) of claim 1, characterized in that the sliding latch (108) includes an entry portion (134, 136), wherein the latching lugs (150) are received when the sliding latch (108) is in the open position, the entry portion (134, 136) having camming surfaces (134a, 134b, 136a, 136b) thereupon that cooperate with the latching lugs (150) to displace the sliding latch (108) into the preliminary position. The electrical connector of claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the latching lugs (150) include camming surfaces (150a, 150b) that cooperate with the sliding latch to displace the sliding latch (108) to the preliminary position. The electrical connector (2) of any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the sliding latch (108) includes a shoulder (134d, 136d) that prevents the latching lug (150) from being withdrawn from the sliding latch (108) when the sliding latch (108) is in the preliminary position. The electrical connector (2) of anyone of claims 1-4, characterized in that the latching lug (150) includes a shoulder (150f) that engages the sliding latch (108) when the sliding latch (108) is in the preliminary position. A sliding latch (108) for a electrical connector (2) that is interconnectable with a mating connector (6) having latching lugs (150) thereupon, said sliding latch (108) being slidably disposed on a housing (4) of the electrical connector (2) and having a camming groove (138, 140) with an entry portion (134, 136) for receiving the latching lugs (150) of the mating connector (6) when the sliding latch (108) is in an open position, where displacement of the sliding latch (108) to a closed position interconnects the electrical connector (2) and the mating connector, characterized in that the entry portion (134, 136) includes camming surfaces (134a, 134b, 136a, 136b) that cooperate with the latching lugs (150) as they are received in the entry portion (134, 136) to deflect the sliding latch (108) to a preliminary position retaining the lugs (150) therein. The sliding latch (108) of claim 6, characterized in that the camming groove (138, 140) includes a shoulder (134d, 136d) adjacent to he entry portion (134, 136) and, when the sliding latch (108) is displaced to the preliminary position, the shoulder (134d, 136d) prevents the latching lug (150) from being withdrawn from the entry portion, (134, 136) thereby retaining the two connectors (2, 6) together.

Inventors: JAKLIN RALF, JAKLIN, RALF
Applicants: WHITAKER CORP, THE WHITAKER CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13